Microcapsules may be used as a delivery device for a number of substances. The microcapsules may act as a control release device, allowing for release of a given substance at a desired rate by, for example, degradation of the shell, or upon mechanical impact or application of pressure. The microcapsules may also act as a mechanism to protect certain substances sensitive to, for example, oxygen, moisture, etc. However, some amount of oxygen or moisture migration into the microcapsules may occur, which may lead to chemical changes in the core material.
A method of determining such chemical variation due to, for example, oxidation or moisture, includes sampling the microcapsules and analyzing the core ingredients by liquid or gas chromatography assays. However, such assays may take a considerable amount of time to run and portions of the sample must be destroyed. Accordingly, methods of analyzing chemical changes within the microcapsules that are relatively non-invasive and/or less time intensive may be useful.